What do you think?
Rate this book
Wonderland Road: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26A compelling new novel about three people looking for a future when the world hangs by a thread, for fans of
Moon on the Crusted Snow
and
The Future
Pauline has not spoken to her sister, Mei, in two decades, not since before the world changed. A rare letter arrives asking Pauline to return to their old neighbourhood to care for Mei’s young daughter while Mei goes to find work.
Twelve-year-old Jing is living in the Children’s House, where all the parentless children stay while their parents work at the Farms. She hasn’t heard from her mother in months and the food deliveries they were promised have dwindled. Her only friends in the neighbourhood are a crow named Iris, an older boy named Julian, and the ghosts of her ancestors in their abandoned apartment.
Julian, once a star athlete and student with a bright future, is one of the only young men left on Wonderland Road. He can’t leave his parents, and he knows there is nowhere left to go. But Julian dreams of a boy he met and a kiss shared in what feels like another lifetime.
These three people will cross paths on Wonderland Road, a community trying to survive in a world of massive disruption and uncertainty. When the future feels poised on a knife’s edge, they must find a way forward.
Pauline has not spoken to her sister, Mei, in two decades, not since before the world changed. A rare letter arrives asking Pauline to return to their old neighbourhood to care for Mei’s young daughter while Mei goes to find work.
Twelve-year-old Jing is living in the Children’s House, where all the parentless children stay while their parents work at the Farms. She hasn’t heard from her mother in months and the food deliveries they were promised have dwindled. Her only friends in the neighbourhood are a crow named Iris, an older boy named Julian, and the ghosts of her ancestors in their abandoned apartment.
Julian, once a star athlete and student with a bright future, is one of the only young men left on Wonderland Road. He can’t leave his parents, and he knows there is nowhere left to go. But Julian dreams of a boy he met and a kiss shared in what feels like another lifetime.
These three people will cross paths on Wonderland Road, a community trying to survive in a world of massive disruption and uncertainty. When the future feels poised on a knife’s edge, they must find a way forward.
293 pages, Paperback
Expected publication April 14, 2026
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 23, 2026
3.75⭐️
The world is struggling through war and climate issues. Basic structures of government and order are breaking down. Pauline has been barely getting by in the city, driven there by an abusive mother and the need to be her own person. Her sister Mei stayed back, caring for her daughter, then her sick mom. When desperation turns their small town into a worker-lending faction for the farms of a large corporation, promising to feed and support them, Mei sends a letter begging Pauline to return to care for her child. But this isn’t an ordinary town. Together, the remaining residents have pulled together to create a society that helps one another and doesn’t leave anyone behind. Here, Pauline must grapple with old wounds, open herself up to people wanting to help, not hurt, and find a way to connect with a life her sister had without her.
Leung writes very complex characters that can frustrate you with their actions. But slowly she pulls them out of their self-centered attitudes and gives them some redemption. While both elements of dystopian society and magical realism are evident, they are not added to the page in a heavy-handed way. They are perfectly sprinkled through the character development to both guide their actions, but not excuse them. The ending is both satisfying and frustrating in its ambiguity.
The world is struggling through war and climate issues. Basic structures of government and order are breaking down. Pauline has been barely getting by in the city, driven there by an abusive mother and the need to be her own person. Her sister Mei stayed back, caring for her daughter, then her sick mom. When desperation turns their small town into a worker-lending faction for the farms of a large corporation, promising to feed and support them, Mei sends a letter begging Pauline to return to care for her child. But this isn’t an ordinary town. Together, the remaining residents have pulled together to create a society that helps one another and doesn’t leave anyone behind. Here, Pauline must grapple with old wounds, open herself up to people wanting to help, not hurt, and find a way to connect with a life her sister had without her.
Leung writes very complex characters that can frustrate you with their actions. But slowly she pulls them out of their self-centered attitudes and gives them some redemption. While both elements of dystopian society and magical realism are evident, they are not added to the page in a heavy-handed way. They are perfectly sprinkled through the character development to both guide their actions, but not excuse them. The ending is both satisfying and frustrating in its ambiguity.
Displaying 1 of 1 review